To present MR imaging findings of intracranial lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE), a retrospective study was performed on MR images of 33 SLE patients with neurologic symptoms and signs. MR imaging was performed on either a 0.5T (21 patients) or 2.0T unit (12 patients), using T1-weighted, proton-density-weighted, and T2-weighted spin echo sequences in all patients. In seven patients, post-contrast T1-weighted images were also obtained after administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine. The main MR findings consisted of focal lesions suggesting ischemia/infarct (15 patients), diffuse brain atrophy (8), and findings associated with infection (4). The MR findings were normal in 11 patients(33%). The focal lesions suggesting ischemia/infarcts presumably secondary to vasculitis were distributed in the cortex or subcortical white matter (7 patients), deep periventricular white matter (3), or in both areas(5). Most of the focal lesions were multiple and small in size. The findings associated with infection were variable and included communicating hydrocephalus, meningeal enhancement, granuloma, etc. MR findings of SLE were non-specific and therefore clinical correlation is needed when evalating SLE in MR.
Atrophy ; Brain* ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Retrospective Studies ; Vasculitis ; White Matter

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from goldenthread, Coptidis Rhizoma and shown to have many biological and pharmacological effects. We previously reported that berberine promotes cell survival and differentiation of neural stem cells. To examine whether berberine has survival promoting effect on damaged neuronal cells, we generated a cellular model under oxidative stress and an neonatal animal model of degenerating brain disease by injecting MK-801. MK801, a noncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, acts as a neurotoxin in developing rats by inhibiting NMDA receptors and induce neuronal cell death. We found that the survival rate of the SH-SY5Y cells under oxidative stress was increased by 287% and 344%, when treated with 1.5 and 3.0microg/ml berberine, respectively. In the developing rats injected by MK801, we observed that TUNEL positive apoptotic cells were outspread in entire brain. The cell death was decreased more than 3 fold in the brains of the MK-801-induced neurodegenerative animal model when berberine was treated to the model animals. This suggests that berberine promotes activity dependent cell survival mediated by NMDA receptor because berberine is known to activate neurons by blocking K+ current or lowering the threshold of the action potential. Taken together, berberine has neuroprotective effect on damaged neurons and neurodegenerating brains of neonatal animal model induced by MK-801 administration.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Berberine ; Brain ; Brain Diseases ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Dizocilpine Maleate ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Isoquinolines ; Models, Animal ; N-Methylaspartate ; Neural Stem Cells ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown the role of Sal-like protein 4 (SALL4) as a biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and some studies have shown the relationship between SALL4 and prognosis. Given the debates in study groups differences in terms of etiologic causes between Western and Asian HCC and detection methods, we attempted to verify the features of SALL4 immunoreactivity and its clinical correlation in Korean HCC patients. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of SALL4 of tissue microarrays (TMAs) consisting of 213 surgically resected HCC patients' tissue were scored in a semiquantitative scoring system with immunoreactive score and the results analyzed with clinical outcome, in addition to general demographics and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: SALL4 immunoreactivity was expressed in 50 cases. Relevance between SALL4 and α-FP correlated significantly (P = 0.002). Also, the SALL4-positive patients had considerably higher tumor grade (P < 0.001). The survival analysis showed negative correlation with SALL4 immunoreactivity in all HCC patient groups, but SALL4 immunoreactivity in T3 and T4 HCC correlated with poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: Here, we found that positive immunostaining of SALL4 is correlated with poor patient survival outcome in large and undifferentiated Korean HCC. SALL4 expression showed close relationship with clinical outcomes of HCCs in Korean patients.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Demography ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microarray Analysis ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown the role of Sal-like protein 4 (SALL4) as a biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and some studies have shown the relationship between SALL4 and prognosis. Given the debates in study groups differences in terms of etiologic causes between Western and Asian HCC and detection methods, we attempted to verify the features of SALL4 immunoreactivity and its clinical correlation in Korean HCC patients. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of SALL4 of tissue microarrays (TMAs) consisting of 213 surgically resected HCC patients' tissue were scored in a semiquantitative scoring system with immunoreactive score and the results analyzed with clinical outcome, in addition to general demographics and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: SALL4 immunoreactivity was expressed in 50 cases. Relevance between SALL4 and α-FP correlated significantly (P = 0.002). Also, the SALL4-positive patients had considerably higher tumor grade (P < 0.001). The survival analysis showed negative correlation with SALL4 immunoreactivity in all HCC patient groups, but SALL4 immunoreactivity in T3 and T4 HCC correlated with poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: Here, we found that positive immunostaining of SALL4 is correlated with poor patient survival outcome in large and undifferentiated Korean HCC. SALL4 expression showed close relationship with clinical outcomes of HCCs in Korean patients.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Demography ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microarray Analysis ; Prognosis

Colonic varix, which is a rare cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding, can be developed by various diseases. Colonic variceal bleeding is more fatal than esophageal variceal bleeding. Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome is a rare congenital vascular malformation characterized by the clinical triad of bony or soft tissue hypertrophy, hemangioma and varicosities or vascular malformations. We report a 42-year-old female patient with fatal sigmoid variceal bleeding. She had dilated vessels over her body and face, and both superior and inferior vena cava were obstructed. She underwent an emergent operation due to uncontrolled massive bleeding from sigmoid varices. We report a case of Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome with literature review.
Adult ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid* ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Female ; Hemangioma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome* ; Varicose Veins* ; Vascular Malformations ; Vena Cava, Inferior